


Your Highness

by mygodhatesme



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), M/M, Suicide Attempt, Tags Contain Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2020-07-07 19:33:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19856875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mygodhatesme/pseuds/mygodhatesme
Summary: Merlin is a new security detail working for the Royal Family and he meets Prince Arthur when he least expected to.





	Your Highness

**Author's Note:**

> *Not edited or even checked for misspellings*
> 
> I have no idea why I wrote this and I know the ending is rushed but I hope you still enjoy.

The nights at the Pendragon Residence were usually very quiet, Merlin always guarded the hallway leading to the small ballroom from the bottom of the stairs in the 3rd wing of the palace and he was told that that area didn't have a guard until a month ago. He wasn't sure why they put him there but he heard other guards talking about his placement. Everyone talked about the same thing, not directly about his placement but who he might be guarding. Everyone talked about the crown prince, Prince Arthur. Arthur was not just known as the prince but also known as the first openly LGBTQ+ person of the Royal Family. The Royal Family and the members of the parliement hoped he would settle with a woman and have little heirs with beautiful blue eyes. It was their only wish before everything fell apart and when he didn't have any limits for alcohol & drugs, it was only a rumour and Merlin heard about it a lot inside and outside of the palace. Prince Arthur had his own residence just outside the city and the rumours were that he moved back to the palace, the people working in the palace often talked about how the maids had to clean vomit from that one bathroom on the top of the stairs where Merlin is supposed to guard. He never saw anyone going through that hallway and he has been working there for over a month, 6 days a week. These nights were extremely boring but he had to stay in position and they felt longer even though his shifts were shorter than anyone because he didn't have enough experience.

At one of those usual nights, Merlin started hearing footsteps as he stood in the hallway. He told himself to be ready to anything but he definitely didn't expect a very drunk prince trying to climb down the stairs which led to the hallway Merlin was guarding. In that exact moment the bodyguard realised he was indeed put there to keep anyone from seeing the drunk prince. The country and the whole world went wild when a member of a royal family came out as bisexual and it started a lot of discussions all around the world. But it didn't make any sense, Merlin was very new to this job and he was not suitable for protecting a prince or basically the prince. He rushed to the stairs and put his arm over the prince's shoulder to keep him from falling. Merlin still couldn't understand what was going on as their slow steps lead them to the hallway. The prince rested on Merlin for a moment before he pushed him then he carefully approached to the short cupboard under the stairs Merlin hasn't noticed before. He took out a bottle of scotch and started making his way back. ''Excuse me!'' Merlin shouted as he took fast steps to help the prince climb the stairs. ''I don't fuckin' need your help!'' the prince yelled as loud as he could. Merlin let him go, he was the prince and there was nothing to say. He thought about how hard the publicists' job are. They first had to deal with the prince coming out and now they had to cover up a story bigger than the previous one.

Merlin supposed that Arthur didn't leave the floor his room is on since forever and the vomit maids have been cleaning are definitely his. It was rather weird actually, no one but the maids regularly visited the floor. It was the prince after all but they were all acting like waiting for him to die. He didn't know about the time other than his shift but he seemed very lonely. And even after an hour after Arthur went back to his floor, Merlin couldn't help but think about him and the way he was. He knew he would get fired for that but he climbed the stairs to the floor he believed Arthur's room was on. He examined the floor with his eyes as his slow steps took him to a door at the end of the hallway. He didn't knock the door and got inside. The place was a mess, he was very surprised that Arthur still hasn't died. There were empty bottles of scotch on the floor and he understood why maids got there first thing in the morning.

His eyes slipped to the bed placed exactly at the left side of the door. There Arthur laid on the top of the pillows, his eyes were open and didn't move them from the ceiling. Merlin felt so bad, not a single person cared about him even though he was the prince. Everyone including his family who only valued his title and his title meant nothing since he came out. Merlin sat down on the edge of Arthur's bed, his mind knew every corner had cameras and he was going to get fired but he wanted to say Arthur that he mattered. He put his hand on the prince's shoulder and pushed a bit. The prince's eyes targetted the bodyguard in the moment he felt his touch. ''Why are you here?'' Arthur didn't ask who he was because it didn't matter. ''I thought you might need company.'' he said then realised he must be more formal but it was too late and he still hadn't removed his cold hands from the warmth Arthur's sweather made him feel. Merlin felt like he needed to fill the silence, there was this incredibly quiet sound coming from the laptop on the couch but it wasn't filling the room.

Arthur tried to sit up without Merlin's help but he couldn't so he gave him a look which the bodyguard understood completely correct. "You're not like others." the prince said as he giggled, Merlin could see the melancholy in his eyes. It was rather disturbing how he giggled and smiled while his eyes looked dead. "I guess you can say so." Merlin mumbled looking at his feet instead of the prince, he also didn't have his hand on his shoulder but his lap. Which was totally unexpected, the drunk prince had the bodyguard's hands in between his. Merlin never thought his job at the palace would come to that moment. "You're young." the prince said, trying to get Merlin's attention. "Very young." he said and those words made Merlin take his eyes off of his shoes but not completely. Arthur was smiling, not sincerely but he knew it would get Merlin's attention. His smile always attracted people since his birth but he didn't know if it was because he was the prince. 

Merlin finally looked Arthur in the eyes but he couldn't stand looking at his sad eyes while he was smiling, it was very creepy but also very depressing. Arthur kept talking, he knew Merlin wouldn't talk. No one ever talked to him. "I bet you were in the army." Merlin noticed there were small tears coming down from the prince's eyes as those words came out of his mouth. Arthur Pendragon had always controversial, even since he said he didn't want to be a soldier or rule a country as a teenager. And when he came out, it was like he almost did it to have no relationship to the monarchy. Merlin couldn't stay silent after that comment of the prince, he responded with a simple "Yes." and waited for the prince to talk which he didn't wait so long to do so. "Why did you leave?" Merlin was trying to stay as calm as possible, he was with the prince in his room and he was asking quite personal questions. Also the prince was very drunk and emotionally unstable. 

"I didn't feel like I belonged there, I don't feel like a soldier." Arthur squeezed the bodyguard's hand, trying to give him the feeling of acceptance which he never actually got. "Everyone wants me dead!" he yelled and laughed, he was trying to make it seem like he was enjoying it. He was hurt and Merlin saw it and he didn't want anyone to be in this situation. "I don't want you dead." Merlin put a genuine smile on his face, "Even I want myself dead." Arthur's fake smiled faded and he didn't try to hold back his tears anymore. "Let me show you something." Merlin said, he cared so much of people and always tried to make people relax a bit. The bodyguard put his other hand on Arthur's and he slowly pulled his body to himself. As the drunk one's head fell on his shoulders, he put his both arms on his back. Merlin could feel Arthur's heartbeat and he noticed in that moment their breaths matched. 

"I haven't done this in a while." the prince said as he still had his head on Merlin's shoulder. Arthur moved his hands from Merlin's lap to his cheeks, held his face in between his two hands. He took a deep breath and asked "Can I kiss you?" and a faint smile brightened his face. Merlin nodded nervously and the prince slowly put his lips on the bodyguard's. Arthur closed his eyes as Merlin slipped his tongue into prince's mouth. Arthur's one hand slipped down to Merlin's shoulder and Merlin's hand on Arthur's back moved to his shoulders. When he felt at peace for the first time in a while, Arthur put his tongue on top of Merlin's. Arthur's breaths got shorter and faster, he took a deep breath and slowly moved his face back from Merlin's. That faint smile was still on and his eyes weren't as dead as before. "Thank you." Arthur said keeping the smile, Merlin smiled back and said "My pleasure." softly. Merlin took his hands back slowly just before Arthur did, he slowly got on his feet and said "I should go." smiled as big as he could. "Take care." he started walking to the door as the word slipped out of his mouth. He closed the door after hime and went back to the hallway, hoping nobody would notice his absence. 

Merlin's shift ended for that night just an hour later he got back to the hallway, thank god nobody noticed. He went home and fell asleep on the couch, he needed to rest before his next shift. He woke up to his phone ringing at 6 pm the same day, it was his head telling him that he needs to guard a hospital room. He didn't really question the order as he was half asleep, he got ready and went to the address. That floor of the hospital was guarded with 5 people and Merlin was asked to guard that one room specifically, he didn't understand much. He normally questioned anything but in that moment he just wanted to go back to sleep, he still had 6 hours before his usual shift started. He didn't notice what was going on until a few hours he got to the hospital. The code name for the king was announced approaching to the hospital, he started sweating nervously trying to get his mind steady to see the king. 

The king walked through the floor and stopped before Merlin, he realised that there was something unusual going on and he was pretty sure it was about Arthur. He didn't look inside the room to respect and not to get yelled at but king left the room really quickly and he didn't like the feeling he had inside. At midnight exactly when his normal shift started, other guards left the hallway and only one guarded the lift. Merlin was nervous and he desperately wanted to know what's happening. Knowing the guard watching the lift wouldn't even notice if he's gone, he slowly and very quietly opened the door. A dark feeling he couldn't name captured his body as he saw that one person he kissed last night laying unconscious on that hospital bed. His slow steps lead him to the end of the bed, he grabbed the file left there and started reading. The words he put his eyes on were scaring him, he didn't understand much of the medical stuff but it was obvious that the prince did this to himself. 

Merlin started making his way to the door, trying to stay calm and keep his tears away from his cheeks. He heard a quiet "Hey" the moment he put his hand on the doorknob, he looked back. Prince Arthur was looking at him dearly with his shining blue eyes. “Are you...” Merlin smiled faintly, “okay?” he said and started walking to Arthur. “Yes, I am.” Arthur said before he tapped on the corner of the bed to make Merlin sit. Merlin had too many questions and he had no idea how to ask them to a prince. He sat down, “But why?” he mumbled and hoped Arthur won’t answer. “Do you remember me?” Merlin asked and didn’t even wait for a moment before he kept talking, “You were really really drunk last night.” he started into the prince’s eyes. “I remember that I kissed you.” he said pushing himself to smile. “I’m Arthur.” he said after he showed Merlin his hand so he could shake it. Merlin smiled and held Arthur’s hand “I’m Merlin.” he had so many questions for Arthur but also didn’t want to get fired. 

Merlin got on his feet and Arthur held his arm when he was about to take a step to the door. “Where’re you going?” Arthur’s voice filled the room, “Back to work.” Merlin said but he also wanted to stay with Arthur. He could see Arthur didn’t like the way he lived and definitely hated himself for a couple of reasons, Merlin wanted to show Arthur that he matters. “Isn’t it weird?” Arthur said before a shy giggle, Merlin turned his head to him and gave him a look meaning he didn’t understand. “You said you didn’t feel like a soldier.” even Merlin didn’t remember he said that, Arthur let go of the bodyguard’s arm. “Then why are you a bodyguard? It’s almost the same fucking thing!” he raised his voice a little. “You’re encouraging me to quit my job when I have no other thing to do?” Merlin said in panic, “Sorry, I don’t know you well enough but if you don’t feel like a soldier why do you to this job?” Arthur said and Merlin knew he was right. “I hate to say this but you’re right.” Merlin said softly, he wrote his number on a piece of paper he found and gave the paper to the prince. He said “Call me when you can.” and left the room. 

What Arthur said kept Merlin thinking, he quit his job first thing after his shift ended. Almost two months of being a bodyguard was enough and quite boring, he felt like he had the power to do anything but was also aware that he didn’t. A few weeks later while he was trying to read an incredibly dull and boring novel, his phone rang. The number calling wasn’t in his contacts so he assumed it was Arthur. “Merlin, right?” he heard Arthur say, Merlin responded with just saying “Yes.” and Arthur started talking very fast, he seemed like he was excited. “I’m no longer in the line for the crown.” Merlin didn’t get it, how could it be possible. “How?” Merlin asked, he didn’t know what all those words meant. “It doesn’t matter.” Arthur took a deep breath, “I literally have no responsibility for the monarchy now.” he said hoping Merlin would understand. “Screw everything, I want to take you on a date.” Arthur said enthusiastically, “Tomorrow, 7pm, I choose the place.” Merlin didn’t know how to respond. Everything was so fast and he wasn’t sure what was happening but he said yes to the date. Surprisingly he actually went and never regretted it.


End file.
